Binary exploding target, package process and product

ABSTRACT

A binary exploding target package, a process of forming an exploding target from the contents of the binary exploding target package, and the exploding target formed therefrom. The binary exploding target package includes a first, target container and a second container. An oxidizer composition is contained within one of the containers and a catalyst composition is contained within the other container. An exploding target is formed by mixing the oxidizer and catalyst compositions, and introducing the mixture into the target container to form an exploding target just prior to using the exploding target as a target for a shooting exercise.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/872,187 filedAug. 20, 2001 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a binary exploding target package, aprocess of forming an exploding target from the contents of the binaryexploding target package, and the exploding target product formedtherefrom.

In the past, several companies have offered for sale small explodingtargets for use in target practice, training, long range competition,etc. Such exploding targets come with all of the explosive ingredientsalready mixed, and are classified by federal regulations as a hazardousmaterial and as an explosive. In use, such exploding targets aredifficult to be heard over the sound of the muzzle blast from a highpowered rifle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a binary explodingtarget package that is safe and legal to ship and store.

It is a further object of the present invention to produce an explodingtarget from the binary exploding target package that produces a veryloud sound upon detonation by a round fired from a center fire rifle.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide aprocess of making an exploding target product from the binary explodingtarget package.

The binary exploding target package of the present invention includes afirst, target container and a second container. An oxidizer compositionis contained within one of the containers and a catalyst composition iscontained within the other container.

An exploding target is formed by mixing the oxidizer and catalystcompositions, and introducing the mixture into the target container toform an exploding target just prior to using the exploding target as atarget for a shooting exercise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the contents of the binary explodingtarget package of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a binary exploding target package, aprocess of forming an exploding target from the contents of the binaryexploding target package, and the exploding target formed therefrom. Theexploding target is for use as a target for target practice, training,competitive shooting, etc. (all hereinafter intended to be includedwithin the phrase “shooting exercise”).

In FIG. 1 the contents of the binary exploding target package 10 of thepresent invention are illustrated. The package 10 includes a first,target container 20 and its contents, a second container 30 and itscontents, an empty mixing container 40 and a funnel 50. The targetcontainer 20, the second container 30, the mixing container 40 and thefunnel 50 are all made of a non-spark generating plastic material, suchas polyethylene.

Target container 20 is comprised of a target bottle 22 having a sealingcap 24 removably attached thereto, such as a screw cap. A target area 26is fixed on the outer surface of target container 20, such as by beingprinted or embossed onto container 22, or applied thereto as a label.

Preferably target area 26 is a fluorescent orange label having a cross28 printed thereon. However, any suitable target may be printed onlabel, such as a bull's-eye, “X”, etc.

It is preferred to make the target bottle 22 of a material whichshatters into very small pieces of a non-injurious size upon detonationin order to minimize or eliminate the formation of dangerous shrapnel. Asuitable such material is polyethylene.

Second container 30 includes a bottle 32 having a sealing cap 34removably attached thereto, such as a screw cap. It is preferred to makebottle 32 of polyethylene.

Preferably, the first, target container 20 contains the oxidizercomposition and the second container 30 contains the “catalyst”composition. This is because the oxidizer composition is larger involume than the catalyst composition, and it is desirable that thetarget container be the larger of the two containers. However, it ispossible that the contents could be reversed, i.e., that the oxidizercomposition would be placed into second container 30 and the catalystcomposition placed into the first, target container 20.

The preferred oxidizer composition is ammonium nitrate or, preferably, amixture of ammonium nitrate and ammonium perchlorate, with ammoniumnitrate being present in an amount between about 50% and 100% by weightand ammonium perchlorate being present in an amount between 0% and about50% by weight. An especially preferred oxidizer composition is one whichcontains about 85% by weight ammonium nitrate powder having a particlesize of about 200 mesh, and about 15% by weight ammonium perchlorate.

Although ammonium nitrate is not required to be present in the oxidizercomposition of the present invention, its presence has been found toraise the detonation success rate from about 92% to substantially 100%.

In forming the oxidizer composition, ammonium perchlorate is added toammonium nitrate and the two materials mixed together to form asubstantially homogeneous mix.

The preferred catalyst composition includes a major amount of explosivegrade aluminum powder, and minor amounts of titanium sponge andzirconium hydride. An especially preferred catalyst composition containsabout 90% by weight explosive grade aluminum power having a particlesize of about 600 mesh, about 5% by weight titanium sponge having aparticle size of about 325 mesh, and about 5% by weight zirconiumhydride having a particle size of about 200 mesh.

As mentioned above, the binary exploding target package 10 of thepresent invention includes the target container 20 which preferablycontains the oxidizer composition, the second container 30 whichpreferably contains the catalyst composition, an empty mixing container40 and a funnel 50 which are shipped and stored together in suitablepackaging. Since the oxidizer composition and catalyst composition aresealed in separate containers, the product is not subject to hazardousor explosive materials shipping or storage laws. In addition, the needfor steel storage magazines, as required for shooting ranges which usepremixed bullet sensitive explosives as targets, is also eliminated.

Mixing container 40 includes a mixing bottle 42 and a stopper 44, bothpreferably made of polyethylene. Funnel 50 is also preferably made ofpolyethylene.

When it is desired to form an exploding target from the binary explodingtarget package 10 of the present invention, the oxidizer compositioncontained in target container 20 and the catalyst composition containedin the catalyst container 30 are poured into mixing bottle 42 usingfunnel 50. Stopper 44 is then secured in place on mixing bottle 42 andthe contents shaken to produce a substantially homogeneous mixture ofoxidizer and catalyst. After mixing, the contents of mixing bottle 42are emptied into target container bottle 22 using funnel 50, and targetcontainer lid 24 secured to target container bottle 22.

The steps of mixing the oxidizer and catalyst compositions, and theintroduction of the oxidizer/catalyst mixture into target containerbottle 22, are carried out just prior to use of the target container 20as an exploding target and within a time frame that avoids violation offederal explosive shipping and storage laws.

A preferred exploding target is one that contains about 0.5 pound ofoxidizer/catalyst composition. Although larger or smaller amounts may beused, larger amounts may cause a larger than safe detonation, andsmaller amounts may not provide the marksman with the optimal blastshowing that the target has been hit.

Whatever quantities are used, it is preferred that the weight ratio ofoxidizer to catalyst is about 8:1 to ensure substantially completedetonation of all ingredients.

Even after the catalyst composition is added to the oxidizercomposition, the resulting explosive composition contained in theexploding target of the present invention is safe as it is not flammableand cannot be detonated by friction.

The exploding target of the present invention requires high impulseenergy to detonate its explosive composition. In fact, it requires thehydrostatic shock generated by a center fire rifle round to detonate it.A rim fire rifle round will not detonate the exploding target of thepresent invention, which means it is extremely unlikely to be detonatedby accidental impact.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments of thisinvention without departing from the underlying principles thereof. Thescope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only bythe following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A binary exploding target package, saidpackage including: a first, target container and a second container; oneof said first and second containers containing an oxidizer composition,and the other of said first and second containers containing a catalystcomposition; said oxidizer composition including ammonium nitrate in anamount between about 50% and 100% by weight, and ammonium perchlorate inan amount between 0% and about 50% by weight; said catalyst compositionincluding aluminum powder and minor amounts of titanium sponge andzirconium hydride; said target container being sized to receive amixture comprised of all of said oxidizer composition and all of saidcatalyst composition.
 2. The binary exploding target package of claim 1wherein said target container has an outer surface that includes atarget fixed thereon.
 3. The binary exploding target package of claim 1wherein said target container is formed of a material which shattersinto very small pieces of a non-injurious size upon detonation.
 4. Thebinary exploding target package of claim 3 wherein said target containeris formed of polyethylene.
 5. The binary exploding target package ofclaim 1 wherein said oxidizer composition includes about 85% by weightammonium nitrate and about 15% by weight ammonium perchlorate.
 6. Thebinary exploding target package of claim 1 wherein said catalystcomposition includes about 90% by weight aluminum powder, about 5% byweight titanium sponge, and about 5% by weight zirconium hydride.
 7. Thebinary exploding target package of claim 6 wherein said aluminum powderis explosive grade aluminum powder having a particle size of about 500mesh.
 8. The binary exploding target package of claim 6 wherein saidtitanium sponge has a particle size of about 325 mesh.
 9. The binaryexploding target package of claim 6 wherein said zirconium hydride has aparticle size of about 200 mesh.
 10. The binary exploding target packageof claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of said oxidizer composition to saidcatalyst composition is about 8:1.
 11. A binary exploding targetcomprising: a target container containing an oxidizer composition, saidoxidizer composition including ammonium nitrate in an amount betweenabout 50% and 100% by weight and ammonium perchlorate in an amountbetween 0% and about 50% by weight; and a catalyst composition, saidcatalyst composition including aluminum powder and minor amounts oftitanium sponge and zirconium hydride.
 12. The binary exploding targetof claim 11 wherein said target container has an outer surface thatincludes a target fixed thereon.
 13. The binary exploding target ofclaim 11 wherein said target container is formed of a material whichshatters into very small pieces of a non-injurious size upon detonation.14. The binary exploding target of claim 13 wherein said targetcontainer is formed of polyethylene.
 15. The A process of forming anexploding a target upon contact with a hydrostatic shock from a rifleround equivalent to that generated by a center fire rifle roundimpacting said target, said process comprising: selecting a first,target container and a second container; storing an oxidizer compositionwithin one of said first and second containers and a catalystcomposition within the other container; said oxidizer compositionincluding ammonium nitrate in an amount between about 50% and 100% byweight and ammonium perchlorate in an amount between 0% and about 50% byweight; said catalyst composition including aluminum powder and minoramounts of titanium sponge and zirconium hydride; transporting saidfirst and second containers to a location to be used for a shootingexercise; mixing said oxidizer composition and said catalyst compositiontogether to form an oxidizer/catalyst mixture, said target containercontaining said mixture adapted to explode upon being subjected to thehydrostatic shock from the rifle round equivalent to that generated bythe center fire rifle round impacting said mixture; and introducing saidoxidizer/catalyst mixture into said target container to form anexploding the target, wherein said target is the target containercontaining the oxidizer/catalyst mixture, firing a center fire rifleround into the target thereby causing an explosion of theoxidizer/catalyst mixture.
 16. The process of claim 15 wherein saidoxidizer composition includes about 85% by weight ammonium nitrate andabout 15% by weight ammonium perchlorate.
 17. The process of claim 15wherein said catalyst composition includes about 90% by weight aluminumpowder, about 5% by weight titanium sponge, and about 5% by weightzirconium hydride.
 18. The process of claim 15 wherein said aluminumpowder is explosive grade aluminum powder having a particle size ofabout 500 mesh.
 19. The process of claim 15 wherein said titanium spongehas a particle size of about 325 mesh.
 20. The process of claim 15wherein said zirconium hydride has a particle size of about 200 mesh.21. The process of claim 15 wherein the weight ratio of said oxidizercomposition to said catalyst composition is about 8:1.
 22. The processof claim 15 wherein said target container includes a target area fixedon the outer surface thereof.
 23. A process of exploding a target uponcontact with a hydrostatic shock from a rifle round equivalent to thatgenerated by a center fire rifle round impacting said target, saidprocess comprising: selecting a first container and a second container;storing an oxidizer composition within one of said first and secondcontainers and a catalyst composition within the other container;transporting said first and second containers to a location to be usedfor a shooting exercise; mixing said oxidizer composition and saidcatalyst composition together to form an oxidizer/catalyst mixture; andintroducing said oxidizer/catalyst mixture into a target container toform the target adapted to explode upon being subjected to thehydrostatic shock from the rifle round equivalent to that generated bythe center fire rifle round impacting said target, wherein said targetis the target container containing the oxidizer/catalyst mixture, firinga center fire rifle round into the target thereby causing an explosionof the oxidizer/catalyst mixture.
 24. The process of claim 23 whereinone of said first and second containers is said target container.
 25. Aprocess of exploding a target upon contact with a hydrostatic shock froma rifle round equivalent to that generated by a center fire rifle roundimpacting said target, said process comprising: selecting a first,target container and a second container; storing an oxidizer compositionwithin one of said first and second containers and a catalystcomposition within the other container; transporting said first andsecond containers to a location to be used for a shooting exercise;mixing said oxidizer composition and said catalyst composition togetherto form an oxidizer/catalyst mixture; and introducing saidoxidizer/catalyst mixture into said target container to form said targetadapted to explode upon being subjected to the hydrostatic shock fromthe rifle round equivalent to that generated by the center fire rifleround impacting said target, wherein said target is the target containercontaining the oxidizer/catalyst mixture, firing a center fire rifleround into the target thereby causing an explosion of theoxidizer/catalyst mixture.
 26. The process of claim 23 wherein saidoxidizer composition includes ammonium nitrate.
 27. The process of claim25, wherein said oxidizer composition includes ammonium nitrate.
 28. Theprocess of claim 26 wherein said catalyst composition includes aluminumpowder.
 29. The process of claim 27 wherein said catalyst compositionincludes aluminum powder.
 30. The process of claim 23 wherein saidcatalyst composition includes aluminum powder.
 31. The process of claim25 wherein said catalyst composition includes aluminum powder.
 32. Theprocess of claim 23 wherein said catalyst composition includes aluminumpowder which is explosive grade aluminum powder having a particle sizeof about 500 mesh.
 33. The process of claim 25 wherein said catalystcomposition includes aluminum powder which is explosive grade aluminumpowder having a particle size of about 500 mesh.
 34. The process ofclaim 23 wherein the weight ratio of said oxidizer composition to saidcatalyst composition is about 8:1.
 35. The process of claim 25 whereinthe weight ratio of said oxidizer composition to said catalystcomposition is about 8:1.
 36. The process of claim 23 wherein saidtarget container includes a target area fixed on the outer surfacethereof.
 37. The process of claim 25 wherein said target containerincludes a target area fixed on the outer surface thereof.
 38. Theprocess of claim 23 wherein said target container is formed ofpolyethylene.
 39. The process of claim 25 wherein said target containeris formed of polyethylene.
 40. The process of claim 23 wherein saidoxidizer composition includes ammonium nitrate in an amount betweenabout 50% and 100% by weight and ammonium perchlorate in an amountbetween 0% and about 50% by weight.
 41. The process of claim 25 whereinsaid oxidizer composition includes ammonium nitrate in an amount betweenabout 50% and 100% by weight and ammonium perchlorate in an amountbetween 0% and about 50% by weight.